Apple iPhone 6S and 6S Plus go on sale in New Zealand

Kiwis were the first in the world to get their hands on the new iPhone range when the 6S and 6S Plus went on sale on Friday.

Shoppers at Spark and Vodafone were greeted by media and passing rugby fans on their way to watch the All Blacks vs Namibia game which was on at about the same time.

OneNews report Matty MClean reported live from Spark. Meanwhile over at Vodafone, Aucklander Ryan Watkinson collected his new iPhone 6S as the clocked ticked 8 a.m., having been the first to pre-order the device.

This is only the second time since the launch of Apple’s iPhone in 2008 that New Zealand has been in the first wave of countries for the iPhone release. The devices are now available in Vodafone’s 30+ stores in New Zealand, as well as Spark, 2Degrees, selected electronics retailers and Apple’s online store.

So, what can you expect from the new phones?

Despite having a similar look as last year’s range, a lot has changed. The body is made of aerospace grade aluminium while the screen features new toughened glass.

Internally you also get a faster 64 bit desktop class A9 chip as well as faster wifi and LTE.

But what about the stuff you can see?

The 12 megapixel rear camera (up from 8MP in last years range) has better noise reduction for all scenes and it can now capture 4K video.

Another obvious feature which differentiates the S range from previous models is 3D touch.

3D Touch introduces an entirely new way to interact with iPhone and your content. The phone senses how deeply you press the display, and allows you to do all kinds of things more quickly and simply.

It gives you real-time feedback in the form of subtle taps from a Taptic Engine.

In addition to familiar Multi-Touch gestures like Tap, Swipe, and Pinch, 3D Touch introduces Peek and Pop, which let you preview all kinds of content and even act on it—without having to actually open it. For example, you can Peek at an email in your inbox with a light press. Then press a little deeper to Pop and see the full email.

The big question is, are the changes to the phone enough to get you upgrade? That will depend on your personal circumstances of course but Apple have certainly packed in the features this time around.

Their tag line, “the only thing that has changed is everything” may sound like hyperbole but it’s true that virtually every aspect of the devices have been tweaked and enhanced.

If you are an Apple fan and are still sitting on an iPhone 5S or below, then the improvements in hardware and software provide compelling reasons to upgrade.